This post is part of a series that addresses social media issues arising from increasing links between compensation for service providers and the value they generate for clients (pay-for-performance 2.0), in which cost-benefit issues, including ROI (return on investment), play a critical role.

A maturity model provides a systematic framework for carrying out benchmarking and performance improvements. It includes a series of descriptions of business performance for discrete business elements as shown in the table below.

The descriptions in our table below are ordered into levels of capability from Novice – Evangelist to Optimizer – cooperation and facilitation.

The optimum level of maturity is that which achieves the organization’s strategic objectives most effectively. Of course, this does not necessarily mean your organization’s objectives are best served by phase five.

Why a maturity model?

The above table presents a model of the different stages companies go through with social media. Using the maturity model provides a better understanding of your organization’s current position. As the right-hand column indicates, the higher the level achieved, the more likely indirect costs are addressed to further support efforts undertaken to strengthen business processes.

Understanding the maturity model and knowing an organization’s unique position can help create a road map to reach the desired level of maturity, not for its own sake alone, but to effect different social media marketing outcomes resulting from varying phases of maturity.

1. Which phase in the table best describes your business’ situation?
2. Which phase do most of your peers (companies in the same industry) fall into?
3. What is the best advice you were ever given about moving to the next phase?
4. What social media tool has made the biggest difference in your company’s efforts?

It is all about getting to know your customers to achieve better engagement in order to provide more value. Please leave a comment; the floor is yours!

This is a really great post. It just came at the right time for me.nnWe had a meeting this morning and discussed the Table. Unfortunately, we discovered that we are not on the same level in the social business maturity model neither if we look across our organisation nor across our 20 or so consumer brands.nnSo we have our work cut out. I also check your post here: http://info.cytrap.eu/?p=1713 where you list a few more upcoming posts on this topic.nnI look forward reading it, love it.

http://My.ComMetrics.com Urs E. Gattiker

PeternnThanks so much for commenting. Glad to hear that you were able to use the #ComMetrics Maturity Model during a meeting this morning.nnWe are bringing a few more blog posts on this topic and hope that this will interest you as well.nnThanks for giving us feedback. Always motivates and helps one to improve. Much appreciated.

Who writes here?

With two decades of application inside blue chips and FT Global 500s, his pioneering work in the field of corporate blog benchmarking and the social media audit (see his books) are now a recognized gold standard.

He is known for a high energy style that combines humor, street smarts, and board room wisdom.
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